


Recandled

by Makira820



Series: Cupboard Full of Pandas [3]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Birthday, Drinking, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23811451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makira820/pseuds/Makira820
Summary: Makoto's birthday celebration doesn't go exactly as planned by her sister and boyfriend.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Series: Cupboard Full of Pandas [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561558
Kudos: 77





	Recandled

_April 23rd, 2019_

_Crrrack! Schloop…_

_'One, two, three, four...FIVE?! Five eggshells?? Really???'_

Sae threw the eggshells in garbage, followed by the now ruined tamago gohan. If she didn't check on the fish soon, it would join them as well if that burning smell was any indication. It had...been a while since she'd cooked. But she wanted to do something special for Makoto's birthday this year, and cooking breakfast for the three of them seemed like something a loving older sister might do.

_Crack! Schlllooop…_

This time the yolk tore as it poured from the shell.

"Oh god damnit…!" she exclaimed

"Need a hand?"

Entering the kitchen was Akira, who had been living with them since Christmas. He was already well groomed and dressed and ready to start the latest in a great many days in which he made Makoto happy. Sae on the other hand...looked uncharacteristically disheveled—hair in a sloppy ponytail, apron stained with soy sauce that she spilled on it as soon as she opened the bottle, under which she was still wearing her pajamas. She was in a bit of a hurry this morning.

She wanted to say: _"No, Akira, I do not require your assistance. Contrary to popular belief, I AM, in fact, capable of cooking. Stay out of MY kitchen."_

Then she heard the sound of a hair dryer being used down the hall. Makoto was done with her shower. _Fuck._

"Could you perhaps…crack some eggs for me? I already made the rice, but these eggs are just... _unruly_..." Sae requested in defeat.

A suppressed chuckle slipped past his lips as he rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands. "Did you make coffee yet?"

 _Shit_. She had grown accustomed to Akira making all the coffee in the apartment. It didn't just appear alongside breakfast without someone going out of their way to make it, and Sae most certainly did not.

"N-No… Could you…?" Sae was genuinely ashamed of herself and how bad she was at being domestic. It had been _far_ too long.

"Don't worry about it, I'm on it." Akira said as he reached into the cabinet and pulled out the coffee filters. With his _other_ hand (yes, singular), he reached into the open egg carton on the counter and pulled out two eggs. A light tap on the counter and he moved his hand over the already prepared bowls of rice.

_Crack! Schloop. Crack! Schloop._

...Perfect. Not a single shell or broken yolk in either bowl. He threw the shells in the garbage before resuming his coffee making task. Sae'd be appreciative if she didn't also want to slap the smug look off his face. So instead she settled for a roll of her eyes.

At least the fish was saved via his intervention, allowing Sae to give it her full, undivided attention. As she served the meal, she couldn't help but tally how much of it was actually made by her and how much was made by Akira. The fish and about 80% of the gohan was her doing, but the miso was made by Akira the night before and the rest of the side dishes were store-bought. As it stood, she was responsible for only about half of Makoto's birthday breakfast and that kind of bothered her a little. Was it good enough? No. She had to be the best sister she could possibly be, she had to be perf-

 _'No. Those are dangerous thoughts. You stop that right now.'_ she thought to herself.

She just had to love Makoto, and give her all the support a sister would expect from her older sibling. Birthdays, frequent hugs, preparing meals—that sort of thing. Anything more and she'd only make Makoto the focus of her obsessive, perfectionist attitude and likely push her away again. So yes, this breakfast _was_ good enough. Because it was made with love, _her_ love.

 _Clunk!_ The sound of Akira setting down three mugs of coffee on the dining table snapped her out of her inner monologue.

...and _his_ love. Just an abundance of love on the table this morning. Surely Makoto would be able to taste it.

"Is that tamago gohan?"

Sae turned around to see the birthday girl herself, also dressed and ready for the day like it was any other. How ironic that the oldest person in the apartment was the only one still wearing their pajamas.

"Yes, it is," Sae said whilst undoing her ponytail and removing her apron in her attempt to make herself more presentable. "I made it."

"You made it?" Makoto asked. "But...I don't see any eggshells."

That was a good sign at least. Their relationship had been mended enough for Makoto to poke fun at Sae's cooking.

"Yes, well, I figured I wouldn't be able to cook breakfast for you again next year if you choked to death this year," Sae countered with a very slight smirk.

Makoto giggled as she wrapped her arms around her without invitation, prompting a smile from her big sis as she returned the hug.

"Happy Birthday, baby sis…" Sae whispered into the top of Makoto's head before breaking the hug. "Now eat your breakfast, it's getting cold."

Makoto took her seat next to Akira, who had been sitting at the dining table this entire time, just sipping his coffee and snapping the occasional picture of the sisters on his phone. For about a year now, he had a private message thread with Sae in which he told her where they were when they went out and when Makoto would be home. But every once in a while he'd share a picture of Makoto that he took that day. Sae never commented on them, but seeing Makoto happy like that before they had this "new" new sisterly relationship of theirs, meant the world to her. Maybe sharing a picture with both sisters in it would finally get her to openly gush over how adorable Makoto was.

After breakfast, Makoto thanked both of them for the meal, then grabbed her bag and made her way to the door. Despite Akira's best efforts and Sae's hesitant permission, she refused to take the day off just because it was her birthday.

"Woah, hey, aren't you forgetting something?" Akira asked as she was about to open the door.

"Am I?" she asked.

Akira had a slightly different smirk for everything he did. She knew a kiss was coming, but that failed to to prepare her for the kind of kiss she received. His warm hands cradled both sides of her face as he leaned in, meeting her lips with his. Her own hands instinctively found their way around him as she pulled his body closer to hers. How fortunate that Sae was too engrossed in something she was looking at on her phone to notice the kind of touchy-feely kiss that they were sharing near the front door. The kind of kiss that made Makoto want to add her legs to this hug. As her tongue met his, he pulled away.

"...Happy Birthday, my love~" he said with a wink, knowing damn well what he just did.

"Oh, come on…" She pulled him in for another kiss, only for him to dodge her face and whisper in her ear.

"You're gonna be late," he said before planting a quick peck on her cheek.

"Oh, you are _absolutely_ going to get it when I get home…" Makoto groaned as she opened the door.

"Whatever the Birthday Queen desires~" he said with a wave.

And with that, Makoto was gone, leaving just Akira and Sae in the apartment. As Akira returned to the table to collect the dishes, he noticed the unmindful smile spread across Sae's face. On her phone was the picture of her hugging Makoto that he had just sent.

"Aren't they the cutest?" he interrupted. "I swear, they're like normal sisters or something."

Sae snapped out of her gushy stupor. "What? No. I was just checking the time. And why are you still here? Don't you have classes today?"

"Me? Of course not. Why would I go to school on my girlfriend's birthday? I have better things to do."

Sae gave him a judgemental glare. She wanted to chastise him for doing such a thing, but she couldn't. For she, too, had also taken the day off for the sake of Makoto's birthday. "Well, in that case, you can help me decorate," she said with a sigh.

Just as she closed her private messages, her phone began ringing in her hand. She knew the number of course, and had been expecting the call. But she didn't expect it this soon.

"Sorry, I have to take this."

"No rush. I'll get these washed," Akira said as he took the dishes to the kitchen sink.

Sae was about to tell him she'd do it, but instead just answered her phone.

"Yes?"

…

"...okay, how long will that take?"

…

"... _NEXT WEEK?!_ But I thought-"

…

"...it was that bad?"

…

"...no, it's my fault. I should have brought it in sooner."

…

"...yes, just make sure it's safe above all else. Thank you for calling me."

She hung up, closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair and groaned. "...Fuck," she whispered through her clenched teeth.

_Spwiiiish! Floolooloo…_

When she opened her eyes, she saw Akira pouring what was left of the coffee into her mug.

"...Thanks," she said, accepting her refill and taking a much needed sip.

"That bad, I take it?" he asked.

Sae scoffed. "Yes, _that_ bad. My gift for Makoto isn't ready, so guess who isn't getting her anything for her birthday for the fifth year running?"

"I'm sure she won't mind if you're a little late."

"I suppose…but that doesn't make me any less disappointed in myself. I trust your plans for her at least haven't fallen through?" Sae asked before indulging in another sip.

Akira was quiet as he contemplated his next words _very_ carefully.

"Akira…you made plans, did you not?" Sae asked, growing increasingly worried.

"...Y-Yeah, we made plans. It's just...u-um…" he stuttered.

"What?"

"We were…going to go...drinking," he muttered in a hushed tone.

"Drinking? You're taking my sister drinking? Do you intend to get her drunk??" Sae questioned.

"No! No, of course not. It's just that neither of us has drank before," Akira explained. "And seeing as I'm 20 and she's turning 21, we thought we'd share our first drinks together."

Sae was quiet as she looked, or rather, _glared_ him in the eye. He was definitely nervous but that was mostly her doing. A bit too much aggression in her scowl perhaps, she definitely still needed to work on that. But through his eyes she could tell he didn't have any nefarious ideas in that unkempt head of his. She relaxed her eyes as she took a deep breath, followed by her trademark sigh.

"I understand the sentiment," Sae said, "...and I do trust you, at least to some extent. But drinking together without any knowledge of how either of you handle alcohol and without supervision of any sort is just begging for poor decisions to be made."

"Then come with us," he suggested.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You just said your gift was a bust. And you can keep an eye on us to make sure we don't spontaneously have kids right there at the bar," Akira joked. "It's a win-win."

The glare resumed. _Stronger_.

"I'm kidding-err, _joking._ Sorry, poor choice of words," he added. "But I do know for certain that Makoto would love it if you came with us."

Sae thought for a moment. Clearly this was meant to be a date between her sister and her boyfriend. She may not approve of their itinerary, but she still had to respect Makoto's decisions and not try to "correct" her as she would in the past, else she'd lose her again. _However_ , under the context of a birthday celebration, it wouldn't _not_ be unexpected of her to tag along…

"Very well then. I'll come too," Sae said. "But if you two are to be drinking, it's best not to do so on an empty stomach. We should take her out to dinner first. My treat."

* * *

_Later that night..._

"Sis...are you sure this is okay?" Makoto asked. She was of course referring to the prices on the menu.

"It's fine. Just order whatever you'd like. You too, Akira," Sae said.

"Uhhh, I don't think I should…" 

Sae lowered her menu and glared at him from across the table. "Order. Whatever. You'd Like."

It took him a minute to realize why she was being pushy. Beside him sat Makoto, who was very clearly grimacing at the prices. Sae didn't want her to feel bad about her choice, so if _he_ ordered something pricey then she would feel more at liberty to order whatever she actually wanted. 

He scanned his menu for the priciest thing he could find. "Hmm, wagyu steak sounds goo-"

Sae kicked him under the table. Jesus, not _THAT_ fucking expensive.

"Er, the broiled unagi sounds great," he corrected himself while trying desperately to ignore the pain in his shin.

"Hmmm…oh, the negimaki right next to that sounds good. I'll have that," Makoto said.

The restaurant they were dining in was in Shinjuku, chosen due to its vicinity to Makoto and Akira's bar of choice. After an agreeable dinner that _didn't_ leave her wallet depleted, Sae accompanied the two to the odd watering hole: Crossroads Bar.

"This is...an interesting choice. Are you sure you want your first drinks from here?" Sae asked after they found their seats at the bar.

"Of course. We couldn't order anything besides tea the first time we came here, so it only seemed natural to rectify that," Makoto explained.

" _'First'_ time? You two have been here before?" Sae asked.

"Oh...I guess we never really told you how we started dating, did we?"

Sae leaned over Makoto to glare at Akira who was sitting on the other side of her. "You asked my sister out in a _bar_???"

"I _swear_ , all we had was tea," Akira pleaded in defense.

"I can vouch for the little darlings~"

Sae's glare was broken by the intermission of who she assumed to be the proprietor of this establishment. A tall woman in yukata approached them on the opposite side of the bar.

"He was _such_ a gentleman. Guiding this flustered young lady by the hand, holding the door and everything. He sat exactly where you're sitting and listened to her pour her sweet little heart out. Oh...so romantic~"

Sae stared at the woman, baffled by both her story and the fact that she had the same eyeshadow as herself. Probably more so the latter, honestly.

"Sis, this is Lala Escargot. She owns this bar," Makoto interrupted.

"Oh, my apologies. It's nice to meet you. My name is Sae Niijima," she said with a slight bow.

"Ohhh, so that's why you have the same gorgeous eyes. It's nice to meet the little sweetheart's big, darling sister~" said Lala-chan. "...So, what can I get you lovely ladies and gent?"

"Ummm, what would you recommend for first-time drinkers?" Makoto asked.

"Beer," Lala-chan plainly said.

"Just...normal beer?" Makoto asked.

"Well, your first drink shouldn't be too complicated or overwhelming," Lala-chan explained. "Once you have an opinion of alcohol, we can go from there."

"I see…" Makoto turned to Akira. "Is beer okay with you?"

"So long as it's okay with you," he said with a smile.

Makoto's hand met his under the counter as she returned the smile. "Alright then, we'll have three beers."

"Wait, _three_?" Sae asked.

"...Yes? One for me, Akira, and you. Were you not planning on drinking with us?"

Clearly there was some miscommunication here. Sae had only come to essentially chaperone on their first drinking experience—she had no intention of touching a drop herself. But then she looked into Makoto's eyes. In her voice was confusion but in her eyes was...disappointment. Makoto _wanted_ to share a drink with her big sister. And Sae wanted nothing more than for Makoto to have a happy birthday, so…

"...We'll have three beers, then," Sae said to Lala-chan.

Truth be told, Sae didn't care much for alcohol. She could stomach the occasional drink at business formal events or meetings with clients, but almost never did she go out of her way to drink at her leisure. The last time she did, she was in college, much like the eager lovebirds sitting beside her. An old peer of hers had taken advantage of her exhaustion from exams and somehow managed to convince her to "live a little", as she put it. All she remembered from that experience was the inside of a toilet bowl and her dad making shijima miso soup for breakfast the following morning. Only about eight years had passed since then but it seemed like two lifetimes ago now...

Back in the present, they now had three beers in front of them. Sae took a sip of hers first, confirming to herself once again that she hated beer. Makoto and Akira took their first sips together, and their reactions were...indifferent.

"It's just...gross soda," Akira said.

"And I don't even like soda in general," Makoto added.

Sae chuckled. Their reactions were much like hers when she first tasted beer. "Well, now that you have a base idea, we can order something that you might actually _like_ ," she suggested.

"Hmmm... What would you recommend, sis?"

"Me? Um...well I don't drink often, mind you, but I don't dislike the taste of umeshu," Sae said.

"Umeshu...?" Makoto asked.

"It's made from steeping unripened plums, giving it a sweet and sour flavor."

"Plums? Like your nail polish?" Akira asked with a smartass smirk.

"...Yes, Akira, like my nail polish…" Sae picked up her undesired beer and took another sip while Makoto tried to hide her grin. It was gonna be a _long_ night.

_One hour later…_

Akira felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Upon checking, he realized it was about time for his last surprise of the evening. "Hey, I have to step outside for a second. Do you uhhh…" Akira trailed off as he looked at Sae who currently had her head buried in her arms on the counter. "...you're good here, right?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Makoto answered.

"Great, be right back~"

After Akira left, Makoto focused her attention on her sister. She was clutching an empty glass, her second glass of umeshu. They had actually all knocked back two rounds of umeshu, but it was hitting Sae _much_ harder than it did Makoto or Akira.

"Sis...are you okay?" Makoto asked while rubbing her back. 

"Rrrrnngh…" was her response.

"Maybe you shouldn't have had two glasses…"

Sae turned her head without actually raising it from her arms. "Whasss that suppozz t'mean?"

"Well, I mean, alcohol does affect people with less body fat faster. And you are a bit... _skinny._ "

"Sssso? That's...a goood thhing...issn't it?"

"No, it's not. You need to eat more, sis. When was the last time you had three meals in one day?" Makoto asked.

"I'm...Mmako...I'm, I'm fine. My body isssh ussed to it...by now…"

"No. Your body needs nutrients, sis. If you're not going to eat then I'm going to start bringing lunch to your office every day."

"Ssss-so what? Y'think y'know bet _*hic*_ ter than me now?" Sae very drunkenly asked.

"What? No, sis, that's not what I'm say-"

Sae turned to face Makoto, sticking her finger where she probably intended to be her nose, but instead just poked Makoto's cheek. "Llllissten 'ere, Mmma _*hic*_ koto, jus 'cause you've _*hic*_ 'ad sssex and I _*hic*_ 'aven't doesn't mean you're the big sszzzisterrrr now."

"Sis, will you please just-wait, what? You've never…?"

Sae didn't answer, she just looked down at her knees as she felt her stomach with one hand and held the counter for support with the other. The look on her face sent Makoto back eight years. See, unlike Sae, Makoto actually remembered her big sister's last indulgence quite _vividly._ Sae came home around 10pm, staggering through the door as she struggled to take her heels off. Before their father could even ask the rhetoric " _Have you been drinking?"_ , Sae made a very sickly face and beelined to the bathroom. The very same face she was making now.

Makoto stood up and carefully yet hurriedly ushered her sister through to the back of the bar where the restrooms were located. Sae barely made it into a stall before hurling the contents of her small stomach into the toilet. Just like all those years before, Makoto stood behind her, holding her hair and rubbing her back as she consoled her big sister through this moment of gastric vulnerability.

Back in the bar, the front doors swung open. Returning to Crossroads was Akira, holding a sizable birthday cake with his hands and a confident smirk with his face.

"Haaaaappy Bir-" he started to say before noticing the girls weren't there anymore. "Wait, where'd they go???"

* * *

"Mmmakoto, I'm… I'm, I'm fine. Rrrreally..."

"You'll be better after a good night's sleep, then," Makoto said.

"Buuut we have t'go homme first…" Sae mumbled.

"Sis...we're _already_ home." 

"Whaaa-AHH!" Sae was trying to get her bearings before Makoto let go of her, sending her falling to her side without her baby sis crutch. To her amazement, instead of the concrete of the sidewalk in the red light district, she fell into the softness of her own bed.

"Make sure to drink lots of water," Makoto said as she set down a bottle of water on her nightstand. With her foot, she slid a small garbage can to the edge of the bed. "...And aim for the garbage can, if you're able."

Even in her drunken mind, Sae did not like feeling helpless. Being in such a state on her sister's birthday to the point that she had to take care of her added a tinge of guilt to the array of bad feelings she was having right now. As Makoto was about to walk away, Sae reached for her wrist. But of course she missed and grabbed the hem of her blouse instead. Same difference really.

"Yes?" Makoto asked as she turned around.

Sae looked up at her sister from her pillow. Her cheek was smooshed against her shoulder in a way that was actually a bit endearing, but her eyes gave a different impression. In her eyes was remorse.

"Sis? What's wrong?" Makoto asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm…I'm s-so sssorry…"

"Sis, everyone handles alcohol differently. It's not your fault."

"N-Noo I…your birthday…didn't get you anything… _again…_ " 

"... _That's_ what's bothering you?" Makoto asked. "Sis, you got me everything I could have wanted."

"W-Wha…?"

Makoto stood up and grabbed the comforter. She pulled it up over Sae as she spoke. "Let me ask you something: You made me breakfast, you took the day off, you came to dinner with us _and_ took me drinking for the first time. Why did you do all of this?"

"...because I love you..." was Sae's drowsy answer.

Makoto smiled as soon as the words passed her lips. "I know, sis. You told me all day. And I love you, too. Goodnight."

Leaving her sister's bedroom, Makoto entered the kitchen just as Akira finished putting the untouched cake in the refrigerator.

"Is she okay?" he asked as soon as he noticed her standing next to the counter.

"Mhm. She'll probably have an awful hangover in the morning, but otherwise she's fine. Sorry about the cake, by the way. You went through all the trouble and-"

He cut her off. "Noooope, none of that. The Birthday Queen shouldn't feel bad about anything she does. Besides, it being your cake means you get to choose when you eat it."

Makoto giggled. "Tomorrow?"

"Sure. Although," Akira checked his watch. "...you _do_ have about an hour left of your birthday. Does my Queen have any idea how she'd like to spend it?"

A seductive smirk spread Makoto's face as she stepped closer to him. Her lips, just inches away from his, parted slightly as their breath collided in the air. She unbuttoned the top few buttons on her blouse, letting it fall just beneath her shoulders and then...she turned around.

"My back has been killing me all week. Would you mind massaging my shoulders like you used to?" she requested with an _entirely_ different smirk.

Akira stood speechless as the steam faded from his glasses. "W-Wha...erm. Whatever the Birthday Queen desires…~"

Makoto laughed as she walked to the living room and sat down on the sofa. Akira walked up behind the sofa, and began caressing her shoulders as instructed.

"I told you, you were going to get it~" she teased as she looked up at him.

"You'll always get me, my Queen."

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKOTO NIIJIMA 2020*🎉🎉🎉🎂🎉🎉🎉 (*even though the fic is is set in 2019)


End file.
